Not all brides like hearing "it's too dark for outside formals"

[form]

Just as the ceremony was ending and the b&g were walking back inside, one of the staff asked me if we were planning on doing formals outside, and I said, "it's too dark for outside formals." Of course the bride was at the threshold of the doorway, and she overheard me. Mind you, at this time the sky was very dark, the blue was only barely visible and no camera (not even the Nikon D3s) would have done justice to the situation with available light.

As for the formals themselves, she wanted to use a particular weeping willow in the front of the venue. Rather than say no to her again, I decided I would do my best to give her what she wanted.

It was completely dark outside, so I used my tripod, did long exposures and used all of the off-camera flash I had to accommodate her. They all came out pretty much like this:

http://www.resolutionplan.com/Joey/Nov13_09/IMG_4493_POTN.jpg

Actually, I think they look better than I thought they would. Would I try something similar in the future? Probably.

[tim]

Looks like you did a good job despite the obvious challenges :)

[ScullenCrossBones]

Was she happy with the results?

I think they look pretty good, considering that limitations.

[JeffreyG]

That's a very credible result. Good work.

[form]

I told her that she could see what it looked like on my camera and if she liked what she saw, we would finish the formals outside. If not, we would go inside for the rest. After the first formal shot, she said she liked what she saw, so we finished them there.

[sf1]

Great job with tough conditions.

[Joelene]

Excellent! You did a wonderful job.

[PaulaSmith]

Wow! You did really great!!!! I love your results.

[Peacefield]

I also like them.

It brings up a tough issue, though. I did a shoot last month where the place is known for this little island in a man-made pond. It's nicely lit and can actually make for some dramatic evening photos. But the bride wanted to do all of her party and family shots on the island during the afternoon in harsh sun. And, oh BTW, in daylight, you can see parked cars in the background from where photographers need to stand. It's hard to convince a bride on her day that a shadey spot over by those trees will produce nicer images. We found the time to do both and when it came time to select photos for her album, nearly all of them came from the shade. It's hard to convince them that we really do know best on stuff like this.

[PhotoMatte]

Yes, isn't it amazing how many brides are ecstatic about a sunny wedding, and just can't wait to go outside and shoot those 1 pm formals? Do you put the sun at their backs and blind them with fill-flash, or do you face them into the sun and only use a little fill to take out the shadows under the eyes and noses...but don't forget, they'll be squinting like mad! I look for trees whenever I arrive at a new wedding venue.

[FELINEDEBOURGES]

I actually think they look really great. They are certainly "different" from your "typical" outdoor formals, but I think that's fantastic. The colors really pop!

[PhotoMatte]

When I first saw the images I would've sworn you were using a professional backdrop in a studio, made to look like the shots were taken outside, at night. Very well done and I like the OCF.

[EmmaRose]

You did a very good job considering the situation and lighting. The only thing I will add is that the little red thing in the middle right side of the pic is really annoying me

[tamko]

how many flash head you used in this photo??